1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is structural members, and the invention relates more particularly to underground vaults.
Typically, the cover of an underground vault is sealed over the vault by a cementitious grout. The major problem with the cementitious grout is that it is slow to cure. When the vault is located under a roadway, traffic must be diverted for about one day to provide sufficient time for the cement to completely cure.
One technique which does not use cementitious grout is shown in the Landers U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,792, which utilizes a plurality of porous bags placed along the upper surface of the vault wall. The bags contain an expandable epoxy resin of the type described in the Skiff U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,296 which is incorporated by reference herein. It has been found that because of the bond between the vault and vault lid, when removal of the vault lid occurs the vault itself suffers structural damage. This new process prevents that bond and saves the vault from damage.